WordPress started as a blogging tool in 2003. Since then it has evolved throughout the years into a powerful website builder and a state-of-the-art content management system (CMS). WordPress is easy to use and flexible to make different types of websites. That’s the main reason why it has grown so much in popularity. WordPress runs nearly the 1/3 of all websites on the internet. Besides that, it’s SEO friendly by design and Google loves it!

Due to its advanced features, many well know brands use WordPress to run their websites including Time Magazine, Facebook, The New Yorker, Sony, Disney, Target, The New York Times, CNN,  CBS,  BBC,  Reuters,   Fortune.com, Volkswagen and more.

There are two different versions of WordPress available to use. There is the self-hosting version: WordPress.org and the inhouse hosting version: WordPress.com. Both belong to Automattic Company.

I use both and it’s easy to define the benefits of using WordPress. Almost all my clients have WordPress.org websites, hosted in different hosting providers. Some of these websites are extremely demanding in traffic and content requirements. But some others need less space or traffic management. For example a news portal demands to handle 80.000 visitors per day and publish 10-20 new posts/day. On the other hand, a personal lifestyle blog gets up to 1000 visitors per day with only 30-60 new posts/month.

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WordPress.org

Having said that, it would be only fair to mention that in both cases, speed + mobile adaptability + security are essential parameters. WordPress.org provides a well-structured open source code for website building. Although an individual with zero development education will face some difficulties while installing a website, still WordPress.org is a secure and professional CMS for a business owner.

WordPress.org has a variety of plugins and levels of adjustments that could transform a Theme into a personalized digital nest for your brand. Of course a web developer or web designer is needed for most changes. As long as you pass the first stage of installation and customization, then adding new content is quite easy.

Security updates, theme updates, backups and backend updates are solely responsibility of the website owner. WordPress.org provides the home for your website but not the domain, emails and hosting services. It may sounds a lot of work but worths all the effort. In WordPress.org adaptability and scalability are secured for life both for your business and website’s growth.

Let’s wrapped it up:

• WordPress.org is free.
• Is super easy to use.
• You are the owner of your data and media files.
• You can handpick the plugins you wish.
• You can customize and personalize your website 100%
• You can earn money by running ads.
• You can use custom Analytics tools.
• You can sell online directly from your website.
• You can create membership sites with premium & paid content.

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WordPress.com

What can I say? I love WordPress.com to the bone!

Due to my business activity as Digital Strategy & Marketing Director in technical and software companies, I am into website development and design from 9-5, since my late twenties. Keeping alive the joy of creativity was an urgent goal for me. And when WordPress.com came into my life, it was the answer to my prayers. I could create any website or blog for my pleasure only in 5 steps.

All you have to do is to:

• Choose a domain
• Pick a theme
• Pay
• Wait for the magic to happen and
• Now you own a brand new website or blog

In less than 24 hours you have your personal digital asset. And here we face the main differentiation points from the WordPress.org platform.

WordPress.com sells hosting services with certain package features, depending on the option you choose. Visit WordPress.com pricing page to learn more.

If you wish to add and branded emails, it’s super easy. You pick a mail suite and add it to your website or blog. If you choose to register a domain through WordPress.com, you will be able to purchase a G Suite (formerly known as Google Apps) account during sign up. You can also add G Suite to an existing domain registration or domain mapping. If you would like to learn how to add a custom domain to your site, please see this article.

Let’s wrap it up:

• WordPress.com will take care of updates or backups.
• It’s easy to use.
• It is perfect for bloggers.
• For more active bloggers the Business Pricing Plan is the best option.
• Now you can monetize your blog by using
  the Business Pricing Plan.
• It’s the best choice for landing pages.
• Can work wonders for personal branding.
• It’s excellent for PR communication strategy.

There are limitations in comparison with WordPress.org, but your actual business needs will define which platform is the best choice. If you don’t want a 100% personalized website then WordPress.com is perfect.

WordPress.com works really well with Google for a great SEO ranking. You can also embed YouTube videos, Google Maps, and other content easily and without any coding ability.

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Why I love WordPress.com

In my personal time I love to create new content. I prefer to spend 4 hours in writing and creating unique content than fixing any technical issues that usually occurs. WordPress.com is my personal technical assistant. They fix everything in the backend, while I am flying in the blogging sky. This is music to my ears!

I write 5000 words every single day. Saving my energy for writing is more valuable than feeling proud for owning a 100% personalized website or blog. I prefer to keep my priorities straight. If a theme suits me and demands little to be done, then it’s perfect. To clarify: this works only for personal projects.

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What is Blogging?

Blogging is a way of living. A culture of continuous curiosity about almost everything. Is an act of optimistic philosophy that drives bloggers to notice common everyday activities and record their personal reactions in a daily & public digital journal. Blogging has become an extension of the philosophical principle by Rene Descartes: I think, therefore I exist (Cogito, ergo sum). Today it has transformed into I blog, therefore I exist.

The source of blogging is based on one of the basic needs of humans. The need for communication. Furthermore, it feeds the need for belonging and bonding with your peers. By blogging (writing and expressing your point of view) offers the illusion of importance.

Bloggers are not journalists. Bloggers don’t document reality, they only share their personal opinion about a certain topic. Freedom of speech protects individual opinions more than the truth itself. Everyone with internet and a computer has the opportunity to share their personal opinion, thoughts, stories, work, brand, business etc. Continue reading…

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WordPress & Blogging

WordPress.org was released on May 27, 2003, by its founders, Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little, as a fork of b2/cafelog. The software was released under the GPLv2 (or later) license. The site opened to beta testers on August 8, 2005, and opened to the public on November 21, 2005.

It was initially launched as an invitation-only service, although at one stage, accounts were also available to users of the Flock web browser. As of February 2017, over 77 million new posts and 42.7 million new comments are published monthly on the service. Source: Wikipedia

For professionals that earned their living through content creation & web design, the 21st November 2005 changed their lives to the better, in countless ways.

WordPress made clear that blogging isn’t just for hobbyists. Thanks to its friendly environment all businesses, organizations, and professionals could blog to boost their site’s traffic and get noticed.

If the internet is the father of blogging, then WordPress is the mother!

It was WordPress that explained to us that blogging regularly is still the single most important thing you can do to increase your site’s SEO (Search Engine Optimization). People with a WordPress.com Business Plan can also use Advanced SEO tools to customize the meta description with a summary that does a better job at captivating readers and potentially increase the post’s search page ranking.

Even if you have a website with mostly static content, add a “Blog” or “News” section, so you can regularly update it in order to make search engines see that your site is active.

All the SEO strategies in the world won’t help if you’re not adding content regularly, so get to writing!